West

California law students provide pro bono help to struggling Maui residents after wildfires

Published

2 years ago

January 3, 2024

California law students provide pro bono help to struggling Maui residents after wildfires

A group of law students at Pepperdine University’s Caruso School of Law are helping with the legal side of recovery after the devastating wildfires in Maui in August.

The students are volunteering through the Pepperdine Caruso Law Pro Bono Program, which is part of the school’s Clinical Education Program.

“Under the leadership of Professors Jeff Baker and Peter Fendel, about 20 Pepperdine Law students volunteered their time and legal skills to assist Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (NHLC) in providing assistance to citizens of Maui who lost their homes and/or businesses in the wildfires,” Caruso School of Law student Matteson Landau told Fox News Digital.

Landau is a second-year law student originally from Texas.

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The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation is an organization dedicated to protecting and advancing Native Hawaiian identity and culture, says its website. It does so by “integrating Kanaka Maoli (indigenous Hawaiian) values into the practice of law and advocacy in courts and before administrative agencies.”

Pepperdine’s students were particularly inspired to assist those in Hawaii in part due to the school’s recent history.

The wildfires in August in Maui destroyed thousands of homes. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

“The Pepperdine community knows firsthand the tragic effects of wildfires, as our own campus and city was affected by the Malibu Woolsey Fire in 2018,” said Landau. Pepperdine University is located in Malibu.

After that fire, Baker “was inspired to develop a legal aid program for disaster relief, and students at that time learned how to file FEMA applications and draft appeal letters,” Landau said.

Pepperdine Law students then used this training to assist with the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Harvey, she said.

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That work continues today with the situation in Hawaii.

“The Hawaiian people are our Pacific neighbors, and we will always offer support and Aloha, just as the people of Hawaii would do for us,” Fendel, executive director of externship and pro bono programs at Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law, said in a press release. “We are honored as a university and a law school to serve the Native Hawaiian population of Maui.”

Under the supervision of NHLC lawyers, “Pepperdine Law students worked in pairs to help clients file FEMA applications and draft FEMA appeal letters,” Landau told Fox News Digital.

“We are honored as a university and a law school to serve the Native Hawaiian population of Maui.”

The students’ work with NHLC was especially helpful due to Hawaii’s “very strict rules prohibiting lawyers from other states from providing legal assistance,” said Landau.

Law students, however, are not considered lawyers. They’re allowed to do legal work in Hawaii as long as they are under the supervision of a Hawaiian attorney, she said.

“Because of this rule, it was especially important to provide law student volunteer support,” said Landau.

Pepperdine University was impacted by a wildfire in 2018 — which inspired a law professor to create a legal aid program for law students. (Ron Hall/Pepperdine University)

She continued, “The number of Hawaiian State Bar certified attorneys is limited, and barred attorneys across the rest of the U.S. were not able to provide the same level of legal support without violating Hawaii’s unauthorized practice of law regulations.”

The NHLC assisted Maui residents with receiving FEMA funding they were entitled to after the wildfires, said Landau.

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By using “the assistance of NHLC, clients could ensure their FEMA applications were filed correctly and submitted on time,” she said.

“If a FEMA application is denied, then the appeal window opens and the applicant can send a letter affirming their eligibility, explaining their situation in detail, and correcting any errors or miscommunications in the original application.”

The students from Pepperdine Law “primarily focused on drafting these appeal letters, while the NHLC lawyers helped facilitate client information, reviewed the drafts and completed the filing process,” said Landau.

Landau and other law students at Pepperdine’s Caruso School of Law are helping Hawaiians receive FEMA funding they are entitled to after the loss of their homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Landau told Fox News Digital that she found the work “incredibly impactful” — and that she was able to see firsthand how her volunteer work was changing lives.

“Through our volunteer work with NHLC this semester, my partner and I were able to assist a native Hawaiian woman in filing a FEMA appeal letter after her initial application was denied,” she said.

The woman lost her home in the wildfires and provided all documentation from her landlord, yet FEMA denied her claim as her roommate at the time had already received funding, according to Landau.

“I was so amazed to see how simple legal research and writing could be influential in allowing a person to begin rebuilding their life.”

“After legal research and consultation with attorneys at NHLC, we determined our client was still eligible to receive her own FEMA funding because she was not related to her roommate and would not be part of the same household anymore,” she said.

Landau and her partner were able to document these facts — and the two drafted a letter detailing the woman’s situation.

“Our client was relying on family and friends to provide shelter until she could secure her FEMA funding and move forward with her life,” said Landau.

“I was so amazed to see how simple legal research and writing could be influential in allowing a person to begin rebuilding their life.”

Fox News Digital reached out to FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) for comment.

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.

Christine Rousselle is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.

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Montana

Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV

Published

11 minutes ago

March 2, 2026

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Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV

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Nevada

How the strikes on Iran could impact gas prices in northern Nevada

Published

23 minutes ago

March 2, 2026

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How the strikes on Iran could impact gas prices in northern Nevada

The United States and Israel launched targeted attacks on Iran on Saturday. The move brought new uncertainty into global energy markets, as northern Nevadans could be paying more at the pump in the coming weeks.

Following the strikes, oil prices increased. Brent crude, the international benchmark, jumped to roughly $73 a barrel, while the national benchmark, West Texas Intermediate, traded above $67.

Much of the concern centers around the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman. which carries about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies.

Patrick de Haan, head of petroleum analysis with GasBuddy, a price tracking company, spoke on the current questions in the region.

“The known would reduce oil prices if there becomes clarity, but it’s the unknown that is stoking fears…. If there is some sort of clarity in the days ahead, whether from Iran, the United States, or Israel, on how long this would last. We’d be able to put potentially an end date for the potential impacts that we’re seeing,” said de Haan.

Experts say for every $5 to $10 increase in oil prices, drivers could pay 15 to 25 cents more per gallon.

According to Triple-A, the average price of a gallon of gas in Nevada on Sunday comes in at $3.70, which comes in above the national average of roughly $2.98.

Over at the Rainbow Market on Vassar Street, prices sat just below four dollars a gallon on Sunday. Reno resident Abran Reyes talked about gas prices potentially going up.

“Whether it’s to work, to maybe run errands, to do stuff that helps you, gas is essential…. That gas price really hits, especially in today’s economy, where gas prices are extraordinary…. I just hope everyone’s safe. I hope our soldiers and all of our troops can be okay,” said Reyes.

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New Mexico

3 thoughts: New Mexico 81, SDSU 76 … Kudos for the local kid, mid-majors getting the squeeze and European bigs

Published

41 minutes ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

3 thoughts: New Mexico 81, SDSU 76 … Kudos for the local kid, mid-majors getting the squeeze and European bigs

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Three thoughts on San Diego State’s 81-76 loss at New Mexico on Saturday afternoon:

1. Kudos

No loss is a happy occasion within SDSU’s basketball program, but it was mitigated somewhat by the how and who:

The how: A 3-pointer from the left wing with 43 seconds left that broke a 74-74 tie.

The who: Luke Haupt, a sixth-year senior from St. Augustine High School and Point Loma Nazarene University who is one of those classy, genuine guys you can’t help but root for.

Aztecs coaches know him and his family well, his father Mike being the longtime head coach at Saints who sent Trey Kell to them. Aztecs players know him from the Swish summer league and open gyms during the summer.

Coach Brian Dutcher: “Kudos to Luke, known him a long time. Coaches are a little different than fan bases, where sometimes (fans) get too hard on the opposition. I wanted to win in the worst way, trust me when I tell you that. But … tip your hat to guys who make important and timely plays.”

Junior guard Miles Byrd: “Credit to Luke Haupt. He’s a San Diego kid. He’s going to (get) up for these type of games. You respect that. Players show up in games like this, and he showed up.”

There’s respect for the moment and respect for what it took to get there.

Haupt grew up, like most kids in San Diego, watching the Aztecs and dreaming of maybe one day playing in Viejas Arena. He went to Division II PLNU instead and toiled in relative anonymity for five seasons, one of which was abbreviated by the pandemic and 1½ of which was wiped out by knee surgery.

The 6-foot-7 wing finally got to Division I for his sixth and final year, lured to New Mexico by former UC San Diego coach Eric Olen, and has averaged 7.2 points per game with a career high of 30 against Boise State. He had 17 on Saturday against his hometown team, the final three coming with 43 seconds left in a tie game.

The play wasn’t designed for him. Fate sent the ball his way.

“It was a big shot, but it was everything I’ve worked on my entire career and basketball life,” Haupt said. “It’s all the people who have helped me get here and all the work that’s been put in.

“These are moments you dream about.”

2. Death of Cinderella

The Aztecs have slipped off the NCAA Tournament bubble with losses in three of their last four games, yet their metrics are comparable and in some cases better than a year ago, when they didn’t win the conference tournament and sneaked into the First Four in Dayton.

They are hanging tough at 42 in Kenpom and 44 in NET. Last year they were 46 and 52 on Selection Sunday.

The problem is that there might be historically few at-large berths available to mid-major conferences as the preposterous sums of money coursing through the sport accentuates the divide between the haves and have-nots. The latest field from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has 11 teams from the SEC, nine from the Big Ten and eight each from the Big 12 and ACC.

The Big East, considered a power conference given its financial commitment to men’s basketball (although that is starting to wane), is expected to get only three, but do the math: Power conferences account for 34 of the 37 at-large invitations to the 68-team field.

Lunardi, and several other bracketologists, has only three mid-majors getting at-large berths: Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara from the WCC, and New Mexico from the Mountain West.

Only Saint Mary’s is in the main bracket. Santa Clara and New Mexico are in his First Four (and the Lobos are his last team in).

“It’s harder,” Dutcher said, “because there are only so many at-large bids that are going to go to non-power conference teams. When thrown up against the power conferences, the Selection Committee is finding ways to put the power conference teams in.”

Since the tournament expanded from 65 to 68 in 2011, mid-majors have averaged a combined 6.3 at-large berths. The high was 10 in 2013, but it’s been seven as recently as 2024. Last year it slipped to four, equaling the record low, and no mid-major teams reached the Sweet 16.

If teams like Utah State, Saint Louis and Miami (Ohio) win their conference tournaments, knocking out “bid stealers,” it could be three, maybe even two.

Money is talking. It doesn’t guarantee success, but it certainly increases the chances.

3. Euros

The Aztecs have not dipped into the European professional market for players, but maybe this season will change their perspective.

They have nine losses. Seven have come against teams with a European big.

The latest was New Mexico, which got 24 points and 18 rebounds from the 6-foot-9, 240-pound Tomislav Buljan, a 23-year-old Croatian pro granted one season of collegiate eligibility by the NCAA. He had 20 and 14 in the first meeting, when the Aztecs narrowly escaped with an 83-79 win after trailing in the final minute.

“He was a monster tonight,” Haupt said. “That was huge for us. Loved the way he played.”

The week before, the Aztecs lost to Colorado State and Rashaan Mbemba from Austria.

They’ve lost to Grand Canyon twice with 7-1 Turkish pro Efe Demirel, a 21-year-old “freshman” who has experience in the Euroleague, the continent’s most prestigious competition.

In the December loss to Arizona where the Aztecs were crushed 52-28 on the boards, 7-2, 260-pound Lithuanian center Motiejus Krivas had 13.

Michigan, which beat SDSU in November, has 7-3 Aday Mara of Spain.

Baylor beat the Aztecs two days later with 6-9 Michael Rataj of Germany, then a few weeks later added 7-0 James Nnaji from Spanish club FC Barcelona.

Only Troy and Utah State didn’t start a European big in wins against SDSU — although Mexican forward Victor Valdes had 20 points for Troy.

“Obviously, it’s changing the game,” Dutcher said. “The European pros are coming over because they can make more money over here than they can in Europe. They come over and they’re making good money, whether it’s Demirel at Grand Canyon or it’s Buljan at New Mexico.

“These are good players who come up through a club system and are basically professional basketball players.”

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